Priorities by Purpose

A Leading Gift

The largest donation ever received by USD’s School of Business.

The month of November ended with a press conference on the campus where President Jim Harris announced that USD received a $20 million leadership gift from Board Chair Don Knauss and his wife, Ellie. The gift will launch the final planning and construction of a new School of Business complex adjacent to Olin Hall, which will also undergo a renovation following the construction. The new building will be named for Don and Ellie Knauss. Their gift will be leveraged to raise additional funds and financial resources for the complex, which will expand the School of Business footprint at USD from the existing 48,000 square feet to more than 120,000 square feet. The project is expected to cost approximately $67 million and be completed in 2022.